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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5793071" data-attributes="member: 8835">Know your PCs/players goals.  Everybody says that.  makes sense.I try to frame hooks as Opportunities and Problems.Opportunities are good.  They should speak to goals.   Opportunities about exploring a dungreon, when the PC's goal is become sherriff is useless.  Sure, somebody MIGHT come up with a way to connect the 2.  But a better opportunity that the player will realize is street crime he can stop, or an investigation he can help with.  Because that can improve his standing with the law and with the people who see him as a law enforcer.Problems are things a person has to deal with.  They tend not to be optional.  In the sense of, you've been shot.  That's a problem, because if you don't deal with it, you're dead.  Somebody else's problems are more like an Opportunity.  The bandits attack example is a Problem, because it instigates a reaction from the PCs.  They have to deal with it.Use problems sparingly.  Generally, problems happen as a consequence, complication or as instigation because the players are being totally boring.Like CJ said, prevent analysis paralysis by not having too many choices.I think with careful choice crafting, you can make 3 choices the party is interested in, rather than 100 that the party has no preference for.Another point to ponder, compare sandbox with real life.In real life, you technically have zillions of choices.  But very few of them are Choices.If you have a job, you will probably go to work, barring some exception.  You will probably do you assigned tasks.  If you have any leeway, it will be in how you solve your assigned tasks.  The person has a main goal of stay employed and finish the tasks.If you don't have a job, you will either look for work or continue to sit around BSing with friends and playing xbox.Consider that the latter sounds suspiciously like a new D&D party in a sandbox.What gets a slacker off the couch?the house is on firea new Star Wars movie just came outSome lucrative opportunity that sounds easy just came up</blockquote>

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